Deathbed
by ICanReadYouLikeABook
Summary: Twoshot. Bella and Edward are room mates lying in their deathbed during the 1918 Spanish Influenza, where they meet- and they begin to talk...even in the midst of death, people can fall in love. But will they survive the fever? BXE EPILOGUE NOW INCLUDED!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Oneshot. Bella and Edward are room mates lying in their deathbed during the Spanish Influenza. And they begin to talk...Even in the midst of death, people can fall in love. BXE

**Author's Note: **This is my first twilight fic, so enjoy. Thanks (:

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EPOV

I had lost track of time.

How long had it been? Just minutes? Hours? Days? How long would it take to kill me?

How long did I have till I died?

I remembered watching the many victims being carried out, their beds quickly replaced by new ones, quiet and dazed as if they would pass away in any second. I knew the worst for me had just started. When I collapsed after my parents had passed away, I knew it hit me.

I could still feel the heat of the sun as I chased after the black buggy that carried my dear family's bodies away. Everything had gone black, and when I opened my eyes, I was here, lying on my death bed.

How was it possible? How could everything I love slip away?

Apparently, this room was for those who had just gotten a hold of the ghastly flu. It hadn't really struck us yet, but we knew the worst were very soon to come. We all lay here in silence, a coughing fit giving some away, and they were carried out by the American Red Cross workers into a room, noisier and more chaotic I could tell, as I heard noise and panic leaking out when the door opened.

Didn't the wealthy get some type of medicine? Some secret cure? Why were my family treated like the rest, like we were just as good as the bodies slowly collecting in the corners and rooms of the town? We were quite wealthy in fact, and I weakly stroked my mother's ring that now lay on my finger with my thumb.

What would happen to it?

I heard footsteps, quiet murmurs and a soft thud, and suddenly I was aware of someone near me. The two beds on either side of me had been empty since I got here, but now one was occupied by a slender body- female, perhaps?

The people who had laid her down tucked covers over the person's chest, felt their temperature, and left.

That was when I thought I had surely died, because my heart stopped.

I had turned to my right to take a look at the person, a girl about my age, with brown, wavy hair spilling over her shoulders and on the soiled pillow. She had beautiful chocolate brown eyes that held more curiosity than I had ever seen. Usually I was good at reading people and guessing at what they were feeling and thinking, but she was a complete enigma. She was beautiful.

She met my gaze, and a soft smile graced her pale lips.

"Hello."

Her voice was soft, silky, and the way she greeted me surprised me. Had she not realized that we were lying on our deathbeds? Only the truly blessed probably survived, and I had heard few of those.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a second, and she shifted her body towards me to get a better look.

"Are you alright? Of course you're not, what am I thinking...would you like me to call a nurse?"

Suddenly, I realized I had not spoken. "Oh, no...I'm sorry."

The teasing smile came back to her lips and she seemed to be saying 'alright' with her expression.

"You were going to call a nurse for me?" I said, a bit bewildered. Didn't we all need nurses? She wasn't exactly perfectly fine, but the way she acted seemed as if she was in the most healthy shape of her life. With her beauty, I realized that the flu had not quite taken a good amount of her yet.

"Well, isn't that what we're all here for?" she said with a laugh, with more as a statement than a question. Her features grew more serious. "Well, that's what you're here for. I'm perfectly fine."

A laugh managed to escape my lips, and I could feel my lungs aching with the unwanted movement.

"The flu hasn't gotten to you as much yet."

She scowled a bit. "I fainted. So what."

I could feel myself smiling, though I couldn't believe it. Here was a girl, one who I didn't even know her name, and she was making me laugh and grin on my deathbed?

"What is your name?" I said with more eagerness than I intended to have.

"Bella. Bella Swan. And you?"

"Edward Masen."

A small look of realization hit her features, and she nodded gravely, lowering your eyes. "The politician's son. I heard your parents passed away today."

"Yes," I said curtly, not wanting to talk about it.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," she said politely, and I tried to hold in my shock.

It was as if she didn't realize her heartbeats were limited. She didn't realize that we were here for a reason, that we were infected with something that could kill us.

And suddenly, I was overcome with grief.

Why? Why was I more worried about her death than I was about mine? Who knew if I would last until tomorrow, and yet I was here wishing she was one of the blessed few who would survive. Was this one of the effects of the fever?

Delusion?

"Thank you," I said politely, my voice growing more and more hoarse by the minute as I continued to talk.

She gave me a small, pitying smile and turned her attention to a person nearby. I sensed he- or she- was standing by by side of the bed, and I watched her eyes grow wide with amazement.

I turned my attention to the figure, only to meet a face that deserved the attention of the King of England. He was breathtakingly handsome, which would explain the look on Bella's face. He wore a doctor's attire, and I wondered what a person like that would have to do with a place like this. With his looks, he must've been wealthy, well known, noble, _something_.

"Hello Mr. Masen," he greeted me, his pale face giving me a polite smile. I greeted him back with effort as I felt my body begin to tire.

"I'm Doctor Cullen. I see you've met Bella?" he questioned me with a coy smile, and I glanced at her to see her roll her eyes. Perhaps she was a noble one in her society, too? What had she or her family done to attract the attention of a doctor? In most workers' eyes, we were just another body, another victim anticipated to grow worse.

And then death would come.

"Yes," I admitted, and he quickly picked up on the curiosity in my voice.

"She put up quite a fight after we found her unconscious. She claims she's perfectly fine," he teased her, but I could hear the sadness in his voice. He couldn't say it. He wouldn't say it. He would tell her she was most certainly not healthy, but he didn't want to say that she would die.

Maybe he was as intrigued with her as I was?

I laughed a little bit, and decided to change the subject. "Are they working on on a cure, yet?"

I felt like I was asking for a cure for her, not for me. If there was only enough for one person, I realized that I wanted her to have it, not me. I liked her- a lot.

His demeanor grew serious. "They're working as hard as they can, but as it begins to spread, they believe it's...incurable."

An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, and I swallowed with difficulty due to my swollen throat.

Incurable. We would not be making it out alive.

I nodded, accepting my fate with as much dignity as I could muster. What would I live for? My parents were gone, I hadn't a brother or sister, and any other family I knew of still lived in England, probably buried by now or lying in their bed, too.

"Are you sure? There's _nothing_?" Bella spoke up worriedly.

Suddenly, the doctor's face changed, as if he wanted to say something, but he was holding it back. "Try to make it through the night. I'll be back to check on you two in the morning," he said, ignoring Bella's question, and suspicion gnawed at me.

Was there something he wasn't telling us? _Did_ we have a chance at life?

He walked away to the next couple of beds, and my eyes followed him before I could no longer see him without sitting up. I turned back to the lovely girl next to me, and I knew she would be my new friend until the end.

An end that would be coming too soon.

So why shouldn't I make the best of it? I should be getting to know her, getting to laugh and smile before the flu overcame me and I would barely be able to move...

She was staring thoughtfully at the ceiling, and I called her name. She shifted to face me slowly, and I knew she was getting weaker and weaker.

"Yes?"

And so our relationship began.

We had talked until the dirty windows grew darker and darker, indicating night was soon upon us. We confided in everything, as if we had known each other since we were born, and I had learned more about a person then I had about anyone else in my life.

Her favorite color was blue (like mine), she had a dog named Rosalie, and her parents owned a bistro down on the corner of Sunshine Road and Forks Boulevard. And as she talked animatedly, I couldn't help but feel sadness.

She would die. And I wouldn't be able to stop it.

It was crazy, how a person could gnaw their way straight into my heart, because as we learned more and more about each other, I felt as if she was mine, that she belonged to me and me only.

I began to fall in love with Bella Swan.

As night rose against us like an enemy, we began to whisper in hushed voices to prevent disturbing others. I had never felt so alive before, suppressing giggles and watching her heavenly eyes light up with joy as she found another thing we had in common. I felt as if she was the only thing other than great God Himself that was keeping me alive, keeping my beat to just hold on until the flu would fully take me.

Suddenly, we fell into a comfortable silence, looking at each other with smiles on our faces using the pale light of the moon.

"Have you ever fallen in love before?" she asked, her voice lovely and quiet enough to where no one would be disturbed. The whole room was in a deep, fitful sleep except for us.

"Yes." Just now.

A hint of something negative flashed in her eyes, before the familiar curiosity came back to ease away the pain she felt.

"Was she beautiful?"

"Yes, she is."

An eyebrow went up over her delicate features, and I decided it was time. It was time she knew how much I didn't want to lose her, how much I needed to die with her if she was to pass away.

"Is?"

"She calls herself Bella, and even though she's insane, she really is quite beautiful."

An oh-so-lovely blush crept across her cheeks. "Thank you."

I just smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Have you?" I asked, returning to the question.

"Yes, and you are quite handsome, Mr. Masen," she said playfully, laughing.

That's what I loved the most. In her terribly weak state, in her illness, she still found the strength to smile. She taught _me_ to smile, when all I could think about was my misfortune and illness, and the time I had left before my eyes would close forever.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I said gingerly, my heart pounding in my chest. What was I thinking, getting so attached to her like this? What if she passed away before me? What if we were to be separated? What if...

"Anything," she said confidently. I took a deep breath.

"I feel like I've known you my whole life, and yet I just met you this morning, only hours ago. And if we were better, if we were to make it...I would marry you, Bella Swan. I would make you my entire life, even though I think you already are."

A brilliant smile graced her features, and a tear rolled out of an eye and down her lovely pale cheek. I wanted to spring up and go to her so badly, to brush the tear away and kiss her until she was no longer sick. I wanted to touch her, to ease her hurting and tell her it was all going to be okay.

Even though it just might not be.

"You wouldn't have to do that, Edward. I'm already yours."

Her voice came out sad, yet in a pleading way, as if she didn't want me to worry about anything because I already had her and there was nothing else to worry about trying to get.

"I'm going to miss that smile," I told her sadly, and she bit her bottom lip.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered, her eyes wide, bittersweetness shining in them.

"Anything."

"I don't think I want to fall asleep."

Confusion washed over me, and I let out an uneasy laugh.

"Because if I close my eyes, I'm afraid I won't wake up."

My heart tore in two. The dread I had felt when I heard that there was no cure washed over me, and I wanted to rip myself apart at that fact. Would we make it through the night? Would we wake up in the morning, or would we go down with a fight tonight?

"Don't say that."

"I'm sick, aren't I? I'm one of the affected...I can feel it now."

"I wouldn't let you."

She sighed, giving me a sad smile. "Oh Edward...my Edward. I should've never gotten myself attached to you. If I don't make it through the night, I would send myself straight to hell for the sorrow I would cause you."

"I wouldn't let you," I repeated as firmly as I could with a hoarse voice. "Don't stay up all night, or you'll make yourself worse."

Her eyes were wide with fear. "Are you ready to go to sleep?"

Indeed, I was. I would force myself to wake up. I would live another day, not cough myself into a fit and get myself removed from the room. I remembered earlier, how it was okay that I might not survive this dark time because there was nothing else to live for.

I was wrong. I had _everything_ to live for.

I _had_ to live for this girl, and she _had_ to do the same.

"With you, my dear. Together. And it'll be easy for me, because I can't wait to wake up to see your beautiful, smiling face."

A genuine smile graced her features. "And I, too."

"Goodnight Mr. Masen."

"Goodnight Ms. Masen."

Her eyes widened at that one, but she gave me an agreeing smile. "Indeed."

I could feel the exhaustion taking us over, wrapping us up and eager to to carry us away. But tonight, I would cheat death. We would do it together.

And she closed her eyes to sleep.

* * *

I could feel the sunlight falling over my eyelids, soft murmurs and footsteps as nurses and volunteers began to check beds for any who had vomited in the night- or worse. I knew it was time to open my eyes, but I was so scared.

I was afraid she wouldn't be there, that she had gotten moved, or that I would cause her to greet me and it would arouse a coughing fit. Yet, how would I ever know? I had to see her, to make sure she was still with me.

And I opened my eyes to her beautiful face.

She was still sleeping, sunlight illuminating her stunning face, as her chest moved up and down weakly. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her cheeks looked more sunken in. It was getting a hold of her...

I held my breath as her eyes fluttered open, darting around the room to gather information suspiciously. She was alive. My love, my Bella, my everything was _alive_!

Her eyes fixed on me, and realization flooded through her. A smile spread over her face, and we stared at each other, dumbstruck and lovesick all at the same time.

"You made it, see?" I said, as if it was the most obvious thing, something that _should've_ happened or else it would've gone against nature.

She laughed, and it was cut off as fast as it came. Confusion, fearful confusion washed over her features, as her chest lurched a bit. She looked at me strangely, her eyes asking me what was going on.

Then, she threw up blood.

My heart stopped, and my stomach began to churn. "Bella?" I cried hoarsely, and the doctor, Cullen I think, rushed over.

I began to call to her, but she spluttered up more blood, her body heaving. My world began to whirl, and I vomited on the floor.

"Get these two to room B! Room B!" I heard a voice shout.

"Room B? I thought the second-stage people went to the next room!"

"I want these two in room B!" the voice thundered, and I could feel my bed whizzing across the floor.

"Edward..."

That voice sounded familiar. Too familiar. I knew that voice- I loved that voice. So much...so, so much...

"Bella?" I tried to call as loud as I could, but a voice told me to "Shhh."

I couldn't quite agree. That was my life in the next bed, my wife, my everything, the last thing I lived for. I had known her my entire life, only it was just a day that we had finally a chance to meet.

Did that even make sense?

I could feel myself whizzing by, and it made me quite queasy. I threw up something else, and my body screamed in relief. I heard another sound similar. Was Bella...dying? Like me?

Was this it?

More voices. I wanted them to stop so badly. I needed them to stop, they were too damn loud.

"Edward..." a faint voice called to me. "There is a way I can save you, but I don't think I have time to explain...It was your mother's wish..." I recognized the voice as the doctor, the one who looked surprisingly handsome, the one who told me there was no cure... My mother? What did my mother have to do with this, though?

"Give it to her," I croaked, hoping and praying he could hear my incoherent voice somehow. "You must...save her."

There was a pain so violent, I couldn't breathe. My stomach lurched, and suddenly I was covered in vomit. My heart was racing ahead, and adrenaline was beginning to clear my head a little bit.

"BELLA!" I screeched, and I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"DO IT! SAVE HER! DO IT!" I screamed. He must understand! It wasn't about me, it was all about her. She must live if there was a cure...

"Are you sure? This is eternal damnation...you'd never be able to sleep, never die, never have a heart beat..."

What was this? Some supernatural force? The devil's work? The adrenaline was too much for me. I didn't have time to press on, to see if he was even serious.

"JUST DO IT!" I yelled, the pain eating me alive. This was it. This was how it all ended, and I couldn't even see the face of that beautiful creature I had just met.

I felt a faint pain in my arm, like a bite, but it was nothing compared to my stomach that was threatening to tear out of me.

And then everything got quieter, duller, more simple...

"It's alright now...I've saved her..."

"Meet me in heaven, Edward," I heard her call to me. Never. I would never. We would live, we had to live.

It was impossible not to. Life wouldn't make sense. The world would explode if we didn't, because we belonged together like air belonged to the lungs. I never even got the chance to touch her, to feel her, to make her mine completely...

My eyes began to close, as my heart began to restart, and I grew warmer.

Warmer.

Warmer.

Hot.

Too hot.

What was this? Was Doctor Cullen a fan of the devil's magic? It was too hot...this wasn't being saved. This wasn't what I asked for...

Meet me in heaven...I remembered my love saying. Was I on my way to hell?

_'Goodnight Mr. Masen,'_

I remembered that from somewhere. I couldn't place my finger on it, due to the fire erupted in my chest.

_'Goodnight Mrs. Masen.'_

_'Indeed.'_

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**Author's Note:** I hope you liked it. Who knows, maybe there'll be an epilouge...? It was slightly AU, I guess. I just thought this was so bittersweet, and it's been in my mind so long...I had to write it down. And here it is. Hopefully nothing was OOC...leave me a review, please. Thanks for reading. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers! -T


	2. Epilogue

**Author's Note: **Wow! 10 Reviews in 30 minutes! I'm sure that's nothing for Daddy's Little Cannibal, haha, but whatever. That's awesome for me. Really you guys, y'all are AMAZING!! You guys rock so hard. XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers, enjoy!

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**EPILOGUE**

EPOV

My head spun with shock as I processed his explanations, his answers to my questions, his ideas, his information, his _everything_. Yet, I could still not believe it. I was a work of the devil, some sort of witch.

A monster.

One that ate people, who attracted prey with good looks, who had just drank a gallon of a mountain lion's blood the doctor kept to quench the fire in my throat- and yet here he was, wanting me to stay with him so he could help me curve my thirst.

"No..." I said, shaking my head.

I hadn't asked for this. In a way, I had, but not _this_. Not to be a creature out of storybooks. Not to have to burn for three days and turn into a monster. This was what I had chosen for her, as well.

I hadn't saved her life. I had cursed it.

"I have to see her before I can think straight."

Bella...the only memory I had now, fuzzy, yet I clung to it to remind me of her, to remind me there was a reason I had chose to live. I needed to see her, to see if it was worth it, if she was too angry at me to still speak to me.

Did she still love me?

Carlisle nodded and went to the door. "She's in the room next door. Take your time, but I advise you not to leave this side of the building if you value those people's lives."

I was too dazed to acknowledge him, and I hurried out the door to find her, the one I gave up everything for. If I had a heart, it would be racing at top speed, because I suddenly felt nervous, scared out of sanity, in fact.

If she didn't want me, I would have nothing at all.

I put my hand on the door knob and turned it slowly, my hands squeezing it so hard they were molding the knob to the shape of my fingers. I let go of it with surprise- he was right about the strength. I tried again and succeeded without the damage, swinging the door open and staring inside with shock.

There was a girl about my age, with long brown hair spilling down her shoulders and part of her back, and a curtain of it hid her face. She sat by a fire in a rocking chair, reading a book and humming softly.

"Bella," I breathed, but I couldn't move.

Oh, the things I had wanted to do since the day I first set my eyes on her! To touch her, to love her, not just just stare at her from her side. She was just like me now, but would that matter? Could we still be together?

Could vampires even love?

Yes. I knew they could, because I felt that familiar sense of joy swelling inside of me. This was love, pure love, and it was up to her whether I would ever feel like this again or not.

She looked up from her book and met my eyes, and I staggered back again. The word magnificent couldn't describe it. Her once-chocolate brown eyes were a fiery red, and her pale face was lovely against her pink lips and brunette hair. She was beauty, dazzling, stunning beauty, the complete defintion of it.

Her eyes widened as she saw me, and I pushed myself forward.

"Are you Edward?" she asked tentively, and my non-existent heart broke inside of me.

She didn't even remember me. I was just another face, another person. I nodded meekly and looked down at the fine holes and lines on the floor.

She let out an unbelieving, breathless laugh that sounded like wind chimes. "Edward...Edward Masen. I remember you."

My head jerked up at her surprising words, and hope lit up inside me like a candle. There must've been confusion on my face, because she quickly elaborated.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you. You're the only memory I have of anything, really. I remember bits and pieces of conversations. And as I saw your face, I remembered another one..." She bit her lip, hesitated, and continued. "I asked you if you had ever been in love before...and that's when I realized I had said I was in love with you. And for some reason, my last name is Masen, like yours."

She looked fearful and embarrassed, and I wanted to stroke her cheek and tell her how wonderful she was, how enchanting she really was- so enchanting that she could make a person fall in love with her in one day.

"Yes. The epedimic...we were infected. And we talked before our health got worse," I explained, remembering the information Carlisle had told me about our relationship.

She raised an eyebrow. "We talked about things like that?"

I nodded.

She let out a sound of disbelief. "Are you my husband?"

That sent a strange thrill through me. Should I say yes? Or would that be taking advantage of a lady? But I didn't want to say no, either...

"We discussed that, too. How I would marry you if we survived."

Her face exploded with shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she just sank into the chair gracefully and stared into the distance. I waited patiently for her to speak, and I felt as if hours had gone by instead of seconds.

"This explains so much...too much. How I knew I was in love with you the moment you came through the door and I saw your face. My last name. Why I could only think and remember you, and nothing else," she whispered.

I didn't know what to say to that, really.

She rose up swiftly and turned to me. "Where do we go from here?"

I didn't know what to say to that, either.

She reached out, as if she wanted to touch me, but she put her hand back to her side. "Don't be afraid," she murmered. "I'm sure we belong together. I'm a vampire, too, after all. But if you're not sure about it anymore...I think I could leave you alone," she said, sadly.

"No!" I had no clue where the outburst came from, and she looked startled as I had done it. I quickly corrected myself.

"I'm sorry. That was very rude of me. And I'm very sorry..."

She looked confused. "For what?"

"For damning you."

To my shock, she laughed. She looked at me and actually laughed! "_Damning_ me? To what? I believe you saved my life!"

That had caught me off guard. "A life you will be in for eternity."

She shook her head. "Well, that's not so bad...if you're willing to stay with me. That's kind of why you asked Carlisle to save me," she said hesitantly, and I could see the struggle behind her eyes, wondering whether she should still be here or not.

"You barely know me."

"I know everything about you, Edward," she corrected me cheerfully, and I remembered parts of our conversations.

"And you're sure you would want to..." I struggled for an appropriate word. "be with me, even though you've known me for for only a day or two? We talked because we thought we were dying, which is not exactly a good reason to ask to marry a person."

She frowned. "It didn't seem like a heat of the moment thing to _me_. And besides- I thought I knew you for a lifetime."

Laughter bubbled out of me before I realized it, and before I could stop myself, I was across the room and she was in my arms. This was the moment I had dreamed about, that I had wanted so badly to do. It felt amazing, her skin soft as silk, and her hair so smooth and perfect. She was right.

We did belong together.

"Oh, hello," she said, off guard, but to my relief, she hugged me back.

I stepped away reluctantly. "I'm sorry. That was very ungentlemanly of me."

Bells of laughter came from her. "I think my husband has the right to do so."

I couldn't stop myself anymore. In a flash, I had taken my mother's ring and placed it on her finger. She stared at it, wide-eyed before a smile crept across her lovely face.

"Mr. Mansen, this is quite sudden!" she said jokingly, and she reached up on her tip toes to kiss me.

"Really, I feel like I've known you forever," she said when we pulled away.

"Well, you will," I decided.

We had an eternity. A forever. I knew we weren't at the point that we needed to be at, yet, but we would get there. I would court her properly; I would be her husband and she would be my wife. It was a blessing in disguise, really, to be with the one you love as long as you wanted.

Forever.

* * *

**.--..--Epilogue- 2008--..--. **

The room was stunned into silence.

In walked in a couple, tall and graceful, as if they had done ballet for their entire life. They were shockingly beautiful, like terrible angels- really, it should've been illegal. They were stunning, and it wasn't a surprise to them that they had shocked the room into silence.

And those eyes- those golden eyes...wow.

The man looked young, maybe 20 at the most, with oddly beautiful brownish-reddish hair and a slim, yet powerful build. He wore a dark blue button down long-sleeved Lacoste shirt, with the top two buttons undone (leaving the rest of the women in a trance).

The woman looked 20 at the most also, with shiny, long chestnut-brown hair with dramatic curls at the bottom as they began to spill over her shoulders. She wore a knee-length black Dior trench coat with a sash, causing it to hug her body and show off her gorgeous curves (which had caught every man's attention, of course). And every man silently thanked God- she had a dark blue strapless dress underneath, the color of the man's shirt.

They looked pale, wealthy, powerful even, and the whispers began as they walked down the school hallway to find their daughter's homeroom.

"That must be Renesmee's parents- the kid looks like she stepped off of a Juicy Couture magazine or something."

"Oh please, the woman had every man in a trance for no reason. It's all fake- and of course, she could afford to get a nose like _that_."

"Billionares."

"Assasins."

"Models."

"Doctors."

"Wait, assasins? What??"

The couple smiled to themselves, always enjoying the creativity people seemed to show. They kept as low-profile as life allowed, but they couldn't miss this.

No they wouldn't miss this- their kid's third-grade open house at Forks Elementary School.

Edward slipped his arms around Bella's waist and smiled, kissing her cheek. That sent every woman in a jealous rage, of course.

"If only Emmet was here- maybe he could get those men to quit staring at you. Though Jasper would be our best bet when it came to how they felt about you."

Bella laughed quietly. "Alice forced me to wear it, you know that. And your shirt doesn't exactly leave much to the imagination. If only Rosalie was here...that'd turn heads 360 degrees."

Edward kissed her jaw. "Darling, you have every head in here flipping and doing _tricks_."

Bella scooted in closer to him. "You're not so bad yourself."

The couple reached Renesmee's homeroom class, where they found her and the rest of the children at desks, piled high with projects, artwork, papers, and other home-made things. Parents talking to their kids and the teacher stopped to take a good look before they quickly returned to what they were doing, trying to play off their jealousy and shock as a simple flash of curiosity.

"Hello, darling," Edward called to her, and all the little children (_and_ the teacher) stared.

Renesmee stared at her parents wide eyed, and asked her teacher for permission to go up to them. The teacher agreed, and their daughter (just as gracefully as her parents) hurried over to her parents, looking up to her towering adoptive parents with shock.

"You guys _came_?"

Bella looked at her confusion. "Did you not want us to?"

Renesmee let out a sigh and shook her head. "No, it's just that...I don't know. You guys aren't exactly public-happy people."

Edward laughed. "We wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, Alice said you're doing so well, and we just had to see for ourselves."

Renesmee bit her bottom lip. "I don't like the looks the other mommies and daddies are giving you." She dropped her voice to a low whisper, low enough that only a mythical creature (and how lucky was she to have _two_?) would understand. "When I get changed, we won't have to worry about that."

Nessie often dreamed about that day; she would be changed at eighteen where she could drive and vote, go under the alias of her parents' sister (how fun _that_ will be) and would be constantly beautiful forever- like her stunning parents.

Bella's brow furrowed. "You'd still have to _live_, Nessie. Go to school, have fun, do things..."

No, that wasn't important to her. She wanted to be invincible and shocking, to be just like her wonderful, amazing parents. Maybe she would get lucky and be a mind-reader like her dad, or have a mysterious force shield like her mom.

Edward ran his hand lightly over her hair. "Your teacher is dying to talk to us- she thinks we're too mysterious and would clear the line of parents just for us," he said with a laugh, and took her hand.

Renesmee led them into the classroom, where it smelled like glue, paper, and paint. She showed them her artwork and papers and they nodded appreciatively. They had gotten over the fact that Renesmee didn't want to move to England to go to that prestigious private school- she didn't really need it anyways, with her grandfather being a doctor, and her grandmother probably the nicest, smartest granny in the entire world. And don't get her started on her aunts and uncles...

"Very nice," they complimented her. "Best of the class."

Finally, they made their way to the teacher's desk, who looked scared shitless and stunned at the same time. It was that beauty thing again- this was why it should be illegal.

"H-Hello Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, I'm Ms. James. You're Renesmee's parents?" she greeted them, and they nodded proudly.

Edward flashed her a smile, and her eyes fluttered. "How is our child doing?"

Ms.James blinked a bit and snapped out of it, eager to start on the new topic that had her baffled since they day they began curriculum.

"_Exceptionally_ well. It's a pleasure to have her in class. She helps out other students when they get stuck on anything, her artwork is wonderful, and her knowledge is spectacular- I'm proud to be her teacher." Ms. James leaned forward a little bit and her voice slightly lowered.

"Have you thought about moving her up a grade- or two?"

Bella nodded. "Yes, we've discussed it before, but we feel like she deserves to live her eduction to the fullest, with children her age. We can't skip over things, after all. Life is too short to do so," she explained.

_'Or too long to do so, rather,'_ she thought sardonically.

Ms. James nodded in understanding, and Edward spoke up. "Of course, we will be furthering her education at home, too. It _is_ important."

The teacher flashed the family a smile that seemed humorously dull compared to theirs, and turned to look down at Renesmee. "You're doing great, sweetie. See you Monday, okay?"

Renesmee nodded shyly, and the family turned to leave.

"That was...interesting," Bella admitted once they were outside. They headed to their Maserati Coupe (90th Anniversary Edition, of course, due to Edward's insistence) with their arms full of macaroni art and lots of papers and projects.

"The teacher wants to kill us for 'holding Nessie back'" Edward said with an amused smirk, emphasizing the silliness of them holding their daughter back.

The three of them laughed. Yeah, sure...like a third-grade teacher was going to kill two vampires.

"Well, I wish her the best luck, then," Bella told him with a giggle.

They sped home, hitting 120 mph, too fast to get the usual stares when they get stuck in traffic. They pulled into their driveway and entered their haven, their home, their place where they could be without worries.

After getting Nessie settled in and put to bed, they entered their bedroom (oh, the irony) and closed the door behind them softly. Edward pulled Bella into his arms, planting a tender kiss on her lips.

"Was Nessie right? Do we really scare people?"

He laughed at his beautiful wife. "No. It's not fear that causes them to stare. It's the beautiful woman on my arm that causes them to freeze in shock."

They began their little ritual.

"I love you, Mr. Cullen."

"I love you too, Mrs. Cullen."

"Indeed."

"Thank God for illness."

"Thank God for you."

And he pulled her closer, trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth, down her jaw, and down her neck. It was his weakness, his habit; he had to make her feel so beautiful, so amazing, because she was and still is. He had to make sure she knew that they would be together until the faraway end, until the world stopped spinning and the universe exploded.

He was her husband and she was his wife.

Together.

Forever.

_The End :D_

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**Author's Note:** I know you guys wanted an epilogue very badly, and it wouldn't have killed me to write one, so there you guys go. Review please! Thanks so much for reading. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers.


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